Should we assess distributed situation awareness before, during or after command and control activity?

Command and control (C2) environments are characterised by rapid pace of change, complex yet often incomplete information with considerable time and decision-making pressures. These pressures create particularly challenging environments in which teams must operate. Advances in information and communication technology afford new ways of organizing C2 structures and support to military personnel. New technologies and ways of working require assessment of their impact on situational awareness (SA). This paper considers the question of when Distributed Situation Awareness (DSA) should be assessed; before, during or after C2 activity. The paper presents a review of three DSA data collection methods: Hierarchical Task Analysis (HTA), Communication Analysis, and Critical Decision Method (CDM) against fourteen criteria.